Chapter 182 Zootopia
As long as you stay away from the area where the local zodiac sign is located, there will be rules and strange things everywhere?
Qiao Song somewhat understood why it was said that there were hundreds or thousands of rules in Zootopia, but even if you didn't follow them, you wouldn't necessarily die. Obviously, as long as you stayed in your own territory, there would be no danger of breaking the rules.
The cabinet next to the bartender was full of task lists, but Qiao Song arrived a little late, so only the tasks that required going to other camps were left.
"Newbie, I have a piece of advice for you," the big rooster bartender continued to wipe the glass, flicking the wall of the glass with the tip of his claws, making a ding sound, "The map notes on the small piece of paper are all left by your predecessors, some are real and some are fake, but as long as you leave the territory of the Rooster, you'd better be careful where you step, even if it's a brick."
The door of the tavern closed behind him, and Qiao Song looked at his palm.
Sure enough, on the back of the small note given by the Red-Crowned Rooster, there was an accurate route map.
The previous ones are very rough, like graffiti and stick drawings, until the junction of the Rooster and the Ox, when the style suddenly changes.
The short route of going straight and then turning left was marked with about 8 to 9 auxiliary lines and a small note of 200 words.
They are so meticulous that you should walk on the left side of the sidewalk, stay away from the blind path if there is one, do not use the overpass when crossing the road but go directly to the zebra crossing, etc., no matter how big or small the requirement is.
It even says that when entering the territory of the Ox, please avoid all manhole covers at sewer intersections.
These words are even handwritten, and it is possible that they were left on the back by previous players, just as the bartender said.
Qiao Song did not intend to completely follow the reminder. The rules of ghost stories were changing rapidly, and what was written on the note could only be used as a reference.
She followed the route to the junction, and when she was only two or three meters away from Chouniu's territory, she already felt the difference.
It's like transitioning directly from a constant temperature air-conditioned room to another sticky, humid and hot place. It feels like you will sweat as soon as you touch it, but a cool breeze blows on the back of your neck.
Qiao Song didn't stop and crossed the boundary line in just three or two steps.
The yellow and black Rooster flag was replaced by the red and green Ox logo in the blink of an eye.
After crossing the line, Qiao Song stopped moving for a while. She could feel that although there was no one on the street, there seemed to be countless pairs of black eyes hiding in the dark, staring at her closely.
The atmosphere on the other side of the road seemed different. In Rooster's territory, she was a resident, but here she was an invader.
But since Chouniu is willing to sell the ingredients to the tavern, it means that the two parties are cooperating. Qiao Song walked on the dim street, remembering the contents of the note firmly in his mind.
To sum it up, there are undoubtedly a few sentences:
Follow the set route of going straight and then turning, do not touch the zebra crossing, do not go on the overpass and walk directly on the sidewalk, avoid manhole covers, and ignore strangers who talk to you.
The only sound on the silent street was her footsteps, clattering. The ground was a little wet and slippery, as if a sprinkler truck had just passed by. The hot steam was steaming the wet dust and going straight into her nostrils.
Qiao Song just frowned and observed the traces left by the sprinkler truck, and found that there was suddenly a row of manhole covers on the sidewalk that was empty just now.
There are square ones and round ones, distributed on the left and right in all directions of the road.
[When entering the Ox territory, please avoid all manhole covers]
This was the first sentence written on the note.
Qiao Song looked at the dozen or twenty strange manhole covers that suddenly appeared, and judged that this hint was 99% correct.
But the note didn't say how to avoid it.
Qiao Song turned his toes slightly and easily avoided the round manhole cover with colorful graffiti in front of him.
As soon as her second foot landed, a square manhole cover that was several meters away from her suddenly appeared not far away.
Qiao Song frowned and dodged, gradually speeding up his pace. The manhole covers around him, which were originally made of metal and embedded in the ground in a grayish color, suddenly twisted like ripples and all turned into covers with various colorful graffiti.
The whole street now instantly entered a different scene. The manhole covers bounced up and down like skipping stones, sliding across the water, and ran directly towards Qiao Song.
Not good, these things are deliberately moving towards her feet.
Qiao Song moved her foot to the side and the moment she landed on the safe ground, she started running.
This road is only about 400 meters long. There is a separated road in front. After the road, there is a place similar to a theme street. The ground is all made of wood, so there is no manhole cover.
You have to find a way to get through first.
Those colorfully graffitied lids probably discovered her thoughts and immediately prepared to chase and intercept them. When Qiao Song took action, it was like a bullfight, making a fake move before dodging.
But the strange thing is, she found that these manhole covers were not so united. In order to let her step on them first, some of the covers would even work together with their companions to knock open another cover that was obviously larger in area.
The square manhole covers are stronger, but there are more round ones. Qiao Song realized that the spoils were not shared equally among them, so he began to actively step on the square ones.
Her action was quickly discovered by other round manhole covers. Regardless of whether Qiao Song did it intentionally or unintentionally, these covers instantly began to block the square manhole covers, which were the least in number on this road, and after pushing them aside, they went on to block Qiao Song.
Qiao Song had already run away like a rabbit. After avoiding the dense attack area, the zebra crossing was just a few steps ahead, but Qiao Song began to slow down subconsciously.
She saw a white line in the black and white zebra crossing, and suddenly raised her back and took a peek at herself.
That's not a zebra crossing at all. It's clearly some kind of crocodile-like creature with its back painted white. They are hiding under the seemingly smooth cement.
Less than 5 meters away from her was the stairs of the pedestrian bridge.
The note did tell her not to worry about the overpass if she came across it and to just go directly to the zebra crossing.
But the zebra crossing in front of her, all the white stripes were monsters that opened an eye from time to time and stared at her quietly.
At this moment, the circular manhole cover behind her discovered Qiao Song's previous deliberate behavior and caught up with her again. Once surrounded by all the manhole covers, she could only move forward by stepping on the gaps between the circles. It was only a matter of time before she was swallowed by the manhole cover that could move freely.
At this time, the monsters under the zebra crossing noticed her situation. They opened one eye and even cracked their mouths, revealing their red, steaming mouths from under the white stripes.
I kept saying, "Come on, I can't wait to eat."
There is a green arrow on the telephone pole on the side of the road with the words "Safe Passage" written on it, pointing to the side.
Qiao Song looked in the direction of the sign and saw the entrance to the overpass. The passage at the top was empty and there was no manhole cover as it was suspended in the air.
It seems that the overpass is safer.
Qiao Song thought for two seconds, then slapped a round button on the white telephone pole.
"There should be a traffic light at a zebra crossing. You ignored me and the light is red now."
Because players are always paying attention to their feet, it is actually difficult for them to notice that there is a button on the white telephone pole at the intersection. Inside the button, there is a line of text in very small letters saying "Please press this button before crossing the road and wait for the green light to come on."
Qiao Song had already seen the telephone pole, but she did not completely believe the advice on the note, so she took the time to observe the specific conditions of the pedestrian bridge.
The monster on the zebra crossing has revealed its true form, but the hollow iron overpass is unusually quiet. This silence obviously hides a greater danger.
Qiao Song struggled with the manhole covers for a while, standing on tiptoe, waiting for the red numbers that had just appeared on the white telephone poles to finish the countdown. The moment the green number appeared, he jumped out of the circle of manhole covers.
The crocodile hidden in the white stripes of the zebra crossing just opened its mouth to bite her, but perhaps because the light turned green, the red stripes in its mouth were not visible at all, as if they were glued.
Qiao Song’s crossing of the zebra crossing was not in vain, as each step he took accurately landed on the top of the white crocodile’s head.
It wasn't that she was seeking revenge deliberately, but since these crocodiles could float under the road, it meant that the entire road was most likely in a flowing state.
After she stepped lightly on the back of the white crocodile and reached the other side of the road, she found that the crocodiles she had just passed by had sunk again.
It was not until the red light came on that the crocodiles opened their mouths wide and looked at her angrily, and the gray road surface around them was like a puddle of muddy water, flowing as they opened their mouths.
If Qiao Song had not stepped on the crocodile's back, which was the pure white stripes, he would have fallen into the mud in minutes if he dared to step on the gray areas.
There is not a single comfortable place in just a few hundred meters.
Fortunately, on this side of the street, there was no abnormality in the corridor paved with wooden floors for a while.
This lack of any signs of trouble is actually the biggest thing that is wrong.
Qiao Song slowed down again and walked the last 100 meters quietly.
The reason why this is called a theme street is because she had seen it from afar before. There are a large number of sculptures and decorative objects here.
Across the street were all closed shops.
There is no driveway in the middle of the two streets, but two rows of empty tables and display cabinets. Combined with some sculptures of old cows wearing straw hats and a large number of signboards made of wheat ears and rice, it seems that an open-air farmers' fair is going to be held here.
Qiao Song didn't stop for long, just kept observing while moving forward.
The street she was leaning against was also filled with empty shops. Every door was closed, with only the opaque glass reflecting her as she walked on the wooden floor.
All the roller shutters in the store were closed, and there were heavy curtains, making the glass look like mirrors.
Qiao Song was alert all the way, but nothing happened. According to the route map, she only needed to turn the last corner to reach the destination of this purchase.
But before turning the corner, her feet paused.
Qiao Song turned his head and looked at the mirror-like floor-to-ceiling window.
There are very few people in this world whose left and right faces are completely symmetrical. Basically, as long as you turn on the camera and flip the mirror, you will find that your left face and right face are actually different.
This may be the influence of eating and chewing habits, or it may be that you like to sleep on one side, resulting in different sizes of the left and right sides of the face.
But Qiao Song's face was very symmetrical, so she felt something was wrong. After looking for a few seconds, she subconsciously raised her left hand, which was the hand she had been holding the map with.
However, in the mirror, she raised her right hand.
The mirror pattern that does not conform to common sense is more like a reminder.
This at least shows that there is something wrong with the direction of this street. To be more precise, there is something wrong with the left and right direction. If she had run away in a hurry, she might have turned left by now.
So, the right side of this street is the left side?
If you turn right, there is another zebra crossing, but this time there is no pedestrian overpass. Instead, there is a strange man standing face to face across the street.
The last sentence on the note was "Ignore any stranger who approaches you."
Qiao Song glanced at the left side of the street corner again. Perhaps because it was almost dusk, the street lights had not yet been turned on, making the area extremely dark, but the entrance to a vegetable market could be vaguely seen.
A bright and warm light lit up there, as if telling Qiao Song that the place where the mission was to be completed was there.
Qiao Song looked again at the floor-to-ceiling glass window that was very close to him and looked like a mirror.
She raised her left hand, and the mirrored her raised her right hand.
Qiao Song finally pressed the cross-road indicator light on the telephone pole and chose to cross the road once more.
Waiting for the green light to come on, she crushed the white crocodile's back and came to the other side of the road on the right.
There was a stranger standing under the telephone pole on the right, the only "living person" on the entire street besides Qiao Song.
The guy wearing a long black windbreaker and a black hat ignored Qiao Song. His collar was raised high, even covering the lower half of his face.
Qiao Song looked forward and followed the instructions on the map. After turning the corner and walking another 50 meters, he would find the entrance to a vegetable market, but it was dark here and it didn't look like there were any shops open.
Normal people would not go to the vegetable market at 6 pm. They would rather choose places like supermarkets where food can be kept fresh.
But this is not a normal world, and Qiao Song is not a normal person.
She looked at the dark street for a few seconds, and suddenly took the initiative to talk to the man.
"Are you the person in charge of 'Good Delicious Natural Farm'? I'm an employee sent by 'Midnight Bistro' to pick up tomorrow's ingredients."
The man in the windbreaker, who had been leaning against the wall like a corpse pretending to be dead, finally began to move slowly.
The hat was lifted slightly, revealing a pair of red eyes hidden in the shadows.
But Qiao Song was not frightened at all. Instead, he noticed that the man must be very old as he could see wrinkles around his eyes.
"Give me the cargo list."
A hoarse but powerful voice came out.
Qiao Song looked at the other person for two seconds, then took out the map and the purchase order and gave them to him.
[Ding——Congratulations to the player for completing 50% of the task. Please return safely with the goods before midnight! ]
The farm shipping manager read the note but stood still. He suddenly said, "Wait for two minutes."
There is a faint strange smell in the air.
Qiao Song suddenly realized that smoke was coming out of the man's head. No, it was from the back of his head.
Two minutes later, the man in the windbreaker pushed his hat forward a little, then reached behind his head with one hand and pulled out a nearly smoked cigarette butt.
At that moment, Qiao Song blew out a smoke ring from the back of his head, and there was a faint facial feature that looked like a nose.
etc.
Only then did she realize that this guy had another face on the back of his head, and he was smoking secretly?
I had been standing in a place with poor lighting before, so I couldn't see it clearly. Only now did I realize that there was a hazy smell in the air around me. It was a very light smoke.
After secretly smoking a cigarette, the guy in the windbreaker finally took Qiao Song forward for a while, and then in the dark street, he hit a certain place on the wall.
With the sound of clicks, the turnstile rose, and a bright light shone out from the gap in the ground.
What followed was a noisy sound, accompanied by a gentle fragrance, which floated out from the airtight market.
"Freshly baked corn, 3 pieces for 100 soul coins, good for your health! Eat it and work in the fields, and you won't feel tired all day!"
"Ghost face silk, we are buying ghost face silk at a high price, and we are also selling finished ghost cloaks!"
"Oh, Auntie, it took me a whole week to make this silk. The price you're offering is too low."
"Young man, take a look at your silkworm breeding skills. If it weren't for the recent shortage, no one would want it even if you lowered the price by 500 soul coins!"
"Okay, okay, okay, I'll sell you all that piece. If I had the money to buy the raw materials, I wouldn't have sold it at this price."
In the previously quiet Chouniu territory, it seemed that all the players and NPCs had run to these mysterious and secret markets.
Some come to buy goods, and some come to sell goods. They are similar to the people in the Rooster area, either wearing masks or having some animal-like appearance.
This is the territory of the ugly cow. Most of the creatures in the entire market have some physiological characteristics similar to those of cows.
Only a small number of them still wore masks, but almost all of them had small horns growing on their heads.
Qiao Song discovered that there was an even more subtle point. In her eyes, these people, whether they were players or aunts and uncles at the vegetable stalls, all had a very faint red light on the outside of their bodies, as if reminding her that these were not companions from the Rooster Territory.
She is right in the realm of other zodiac signs.
If she can see this red light, then others might also be able to notice her difference.
Sure enough, Qiao Song soon noticed that the nearest shop with a door soon noticed Qiao Song. The young man, who was only 1.6 meters tall but had biceps as hardened as cement, instantly crossed his arms over his chest and his eyes gradually became unfriendly.
The man in the windbreaker patted the wall behind him again and closed the rolling shutter door that he had just opened. At the same time, as if he remembered something, he took out something and put it in front of Qiao Song.
"Put this on, or you'll be attacked and turned into fertilizer."
After the man in the windbreaker finished speaking, he took off his hat and kept fanning the back of his head and his clothes up and down, as if he wanted to get rid of the smell of smoke as quickly as possible.
Qiao Song took the pendant that looked like a talisman paper and put it around her neck. As expected, she found that the NPCs around her who were originally staring at her and seemed to be ready to kill her in the next second, silently turned their eyes away.
[Ding——Congratulations to the player for obtaining the Whitelist Amulet, which can only be used until midnight. ]
[Note that this amulet only ensures that NPCs will not actively attack players, and at the same time hides the red light reminder of the hostile camp on your body. Once you enter the combat state, the shielding effect will be invalid. Please do not take the initiative to cause trouble in other people's territory~]
"It will take another hour or two to prepare the goods. You can wander around the market. Don't cause trouble. I won't clean up after you players."
The man in the windbreaker walked into a store in the distance with the list. Qiao Song put the pendant inside his clothes and went over to take a look. The store had a large frontage and was a comprehensive store that sold everything from meat, vegetables, to rice, flour, grain and oil. There was even a special display cabinet area filled with all kinds of strange things.
Qiao Song thought for a moment. This was a rare opportunity. Since the amulet was useful, she might as well walk around the market first. She seemed to have heard someone shouting at the door about buying ghost mist silk and selling finished ghost cloaks.
Are there any NPCs in this market selling item-related items?
Not only is there one, but there is more than one.
Qiao Song felt that he was not walking in a vegetable market, but more like visiting a comprehensive exhibition center, with all kinds of strange things to eat, drink and play with.
There are even cars for sale here.
Ox cart.
A strong man in human form, a minotaur, pulling the ox cart himself.
"The price is 2,000 soul coins, and the validity period is one day. The timer starts at midnight and is based on midnight. After the pulling of the cart is completed, this guy will be redeemed by someone in his own domain."
The burly minotaur was shirtless, his hands and feet were tied with chains, and he covered his face with shame, looking like he had no desire to live and didn't want to see anyone.
Qiao Song subtly sensed something.
But looking at the car behind, it was an open-top cart, and like an ordinary three-wheeled trunk, it was very spacious. If it was all pulled by a minotaur, then this guy was indeed very strong.
However, Qiao Song took a look at the guy's physique. He was over two meters tall, with well-defined muscles. His upper body was covered with thick cow hair and a pair of horns on his head. Only his lower body was wearing a pair of sweatpants.
Black and white sports socks with running spikes.
The sense of déjà vu is too strong.
You still need to pay a deposit for the latter car. It seems that it is only rented out with logistics services included. Once the usage period is over, the car must be returned.
Of course, you can also just rent the Tauren and equip your own car.
People around them seemed to be accustomed to this strange combination and even had time to find fault with it.
"Your price is not cheap, 2,000 soul coins, and it can only be used for 24 hours. If I go to our village and find a few 10-year-old children to pull the cart, it will only cost more than 1,000 soul coins."
The merchant didn't take it seriously and immediately explained proudly, "This guy used to study sports. His basic skills include 'Tenacious Long-distance Running' and 'Charge Sprint'. Look at his physique. After transforming into an ox attribute, he will be very strong. You won't suffer any loss or be cheated if you rent him back!"
Qiao Song sighed silently in his heart.
This player is indeed a player who has been caught. Why is he running out to work as a laborer? And didn’t we just say that once the 24-hour limit is up, he will be redeemed by people from other realms? Isn’t this a resident of the Ugly Ox realm?
Qiao Song thought about it and moved a few steps to the side. Sure enough, he saw a furry tail hanging behind his sweatpants, but it was obviously not a cow's tail.
Look, it looks more like a dog's tail?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
